After so many delays it’s odd that Torchlight II should come out now, just as a very different kind of game is also proving how much fun kleptomania is. Borderlands 2 may look radically different to Torchlight II but it has been formed from many of the same influences. Of course what Torchlight doesn’t look radically different to is Diablo, but despite its indie roots it’s arguably a better game than Blizzard’s most recent sequel.

Torchlight II might look disarmingly similar to Diablo III (although actually, the more cartoonish character art is quite different) but this is not a game that’s going to impress anyone based on its screenshots or videos. Handily then there’s an extensive free demo at the official website and the whole game is only £14.99 from Steam.

While you have that downloading in the background we would offer to explain the game’s backstory and characters, but that’s not going to take more than a few seconds. There’s no convincing reason for why you’re hacking and slashing your way through dungeons filled with every fantasy monster known to man, other than the fact that doing so is incredibly entertaining.

It might require you to mouse click on enemies rather than line them up down the barrel of a gun, but the action in Torchlight II is just as fast as Borderlands 2 – and the odds are often stacked even further against you. Your range of weapons is even wider too, perhaps not in numbers but certainly in function – from good old-fashioned swords and magic to steampunk style guns and explosives.

But no matter how exciting slicing your way through hordes of orcs is, even bringing down one of the game’s giant-sized bosses is nothing compared to the teasing anticipation of getting some rare loot afterwards. In Torchlight II you constantly feel like you’re on the verge of winning the lottery, and frequently you do.

Whether it’s a new piece of armour, a magic battle axe, or any of the other infinite range of knick knacks the hope that the next enemy will leave behind a game-changing piece of equipment is all the encouragement you need to keep playing. Despite the loot drops being random the rewards still seem to be perfectly timed, and always interesting enough to feel worthwhile but never overpowered enough for you not to instantly start craving something slightly better.

We can’t imagine how difficult it must be to orchestrate all this, but although the details are unique the truth is the core gameplay isn’t substantially different from the first Torchlight, Diablo III, or any other isometric dungeon crawler. There’s more variety to the backdrops, with proper outdoor areas ranging from deserts to gas-filled swamps, but no-one could pretend there are any genre-changing new ideas here.

What is new for Torchlight II though is a six-player co-operative mode. A serious omission in the original game, the implementation here is excellent – with the difficultly level scaling up as more people join the game. Each player gets individual loot drops, to stop other players stealing your rewards, which immediately limits the greatest potential source of arguments.

Although the multiplayer is definitely one of Torchlight II’s biggest draws there are other smaller innovations. There’s the expansion of the pet concept for example, with your character able to bring everything from a bulldog to a ferret along with them. They’re essentially animated inventories that can be trained to go shopping for you while you stay in the dungeon – selling unwanted loot and bringing back essential supplies.

Considering the almost non-existent story the game does have plenty of character, not only thanks to the pets and monsters but also the unusual class types. The Berserker uses quick fire animal-themed attacks, the Embermage wields elemental magic, the Engineer utilises steampunk technology, and the Outlander has ranged weapons and simple magic.

Despite, or rather because of, the lack of the usual cod Elizabethan dialogue they all seem to have far more personality than their equivalents in other games. This is largely because of the amount of time you invest in them and their equipment. Customising weapons and armour is an impressively complicated affair, but the character progression takes a fairly old school approach.

Although it’s increasingly fallen out of fashion to do so you have to manually assign skill and attribute points, and there’s only a limited option to undo the decisions you make. This forces you to specialise, not only making your character more unique and distinctive but increasing the urge to play with a completely different character in the New Game + mode.

Unfortunately developer Runic Games has downplayed the chances of a console version, even though there was an Xbox Live Arcade port of the original. The added complexities of Torchlight II apparently make it a far more complex proposition, and Runic seem to be implying that it wouldn’t be cost effective.

We hope they find a way though because this is a game that deserves to be experienced by as many people as possible. It’s proof that originality is irrelevant in the face of a game that can simply present a well-worn theme better than anyone else. That Torchlight II does so with so small a price tag is just the icing on the cake.

In Short: Probably the best dungeon crawler in the world, including Diablo III. And what it lacks in storytelling and originality it makes up with pitch perfect design and pacing.

Pros: A perfectly teased trail of loot and addictive action, with a huge variety of attractive, varied backdrops and enemies. Six-player co-op and near infinite longevity.

Cons: Very few new ideas of any kind. Perfunctory story and forgettable dialogue.